Agriculture is a key pillar of the Tasmanian economy, generating over $1.1 billion dollars at the farm gate and directly employing over 7,000 people. More than a quarter of Tasmania's land area is committed to agriculture. When combined with dependent downstream processing, primary industries provide a third of Gross State Product, about a third of employment and a quarter of all overseas exports.

The Tasmanian Government has extended the moratorium on the commercial production of genetically modified crops until November 2019. Hormones and antibiotics are not used to promote growth in livestock.